MagnificentOne

Cold War Nation Sheets

Nation's full name: People's Republic of China
Population: 554,760,000
Current leader's name: Chairman Mao Zedong
Allegiance: The Great Helmsman
Military strength: 5,570,000

The Iron Curtain: A Cold War NRP

Comrades!

Let us hold our heads high for 1950. In a little more than three years, the people of the whole country have closed their ranks, rallied to support the People's Liberation Army, and won an astounding victory against the reactionary forces of the Kuomintang government! The war upon the mainland has basically been won, and only Taiwan and Tibet remain to be liberated, but this task still involves serious struggle. In certain areas on the mainland the Kuomintang reactionaries have resorted to bandit guerilla warfare and incited some backward elements against the People's Republic. They have organized many secret agents and spies to oppose our government and spread rumours among the people in an attempt to undermine the prestige of the Communist Party and the People's Republic, and to disrupt our unity and peace. These secret agents and spies are also engaged in sabotaging the people's economic undertakings, assassinating the personnel of the Party and government organizations and collecting intelligence for the imperialists and the Kuomintang reactionaries. It is a well known fact that the Kuomintang are merely the running dogs of the imperialists! All these bandits, secret agents and spies are merely imperialist lackeys. Despite their stubborn resistance, let it be known that the running dogs shall be crushed! Never again shall the forces of China be swept by the Kuomintang counter-revolutionaries. The people made their choice between the bright future that the Communist Party will deliver, and the world of darkness that the Kuomintang would have delivered - and they made their choice.

Has the dictatorial Chiang Kai-Shek government forgotten the decisive victories in the three great campaigns of Liaohsi-Shenyang, Huai-Hai and Peiping-Tientsin in the winter of 1948? It was during such revolutionary campaigns that the People's Liberation Army wiped out 1,830,000 troops of the reactionary Kuomintang and 980,000 of its bandit guerilla forces. Large numbers of reactionary secret service groups and agents have been located by our own forces - and for the counter-revolutionary acts of oppressing the peasants and undermining the People's Government, they have been dealt with appropriately. In the new liberated areas, the present task of the People's Liberation Army is to continue to wipe out the remnant bandits and that of the People's Public Security Organs is to continue to strike at the enemy's secret service groups. The great majority of the people throughout the country warmly support the Communist Party, the People's Government and the People's Liberation Army. Our nation-wide front against imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic-capitalism shall achieve final victory against the reactionary Kuomintang!

Comrades, let us not forget our friends across the world. I am genuinely pleased to hear of Comrade Stalin's warm support of our People's Republic. Not only is he a teacher and a friend to the people of China, but he is a teacher and a friend to the people of all the world! His extremely outstanding and extensive contributions to the cause of communism has been vital contributions to Marxist-Leninist theory. In the arduous struggle to resist their oppressors, the Chinese people have become deeply appreciative of the importance of Comrade Stalin's friendship. Under the leadership of Comrade Stalin, the working class of the world may achieve great unprecedented solidarity. Long live the great Stalin, leader of the world's working class and of the international Communist movement!

The world front of peace and democracy headed by the Soviet Union is stronger than it was last year. The people's movement for peace and against war has made headway in all countries. Despite such calls for peace on earth, it is unfortunate that, in particular, the colonialist schemes of the French Republic work against the wishes of the people. But the growing people's liberation struggles of the oppressed nations can not be crushed so easily, unlike the paper tigers of the French imperialists. The Chinese people stand by the people of Indochina who under the great leadership of Comrade Ho Chi Minh are sure to attain a glorious victory for an independent and flourishing country!

The Chinese people must stand united. Let us safeguard fruits of victory of the people's revolution, and let us persist in the people's democratic dictatorship and unite with our foreign friends. By our own indomitable efforts we the Chinese people shall overcome all difficulties in achieving a prosperous country standing equal amongst our socialist brothers.

Mao Zedong
Chairman of the Communist Party of China

The Iron Curtain: A Cold War NRP

AegonVI said
@MagnificentOne, how are you finding your information about military size?

Knowledge of the Chinese civil war, so I'm afraid I can't help with Brazil. Maybe Wiki might have the answer.

The Iron Curtain: A Cold War NRP

The Nexerus said
??? (Can't find this. Anyone know a good resource?)

The Taiwanese army would be approximately 600,000 strong.

World in Revolution - 1900

The Great War: Early 1917



German High Command were delighted after the successful assault from the north of the French positions, which had resulted in the retreat of French army. However, in Colmar there was unfinished business. Over half a million Frenchmen guarded the fortress with their live, vowing never to lose the land as they sought to avenge the loss of their compatriots during the Franco-Prussian War of 1871. At the head of the Colmar Garrison was one of France's most esteemed combatants during the war - General Pétain. A great challenge awaited the General as the Germans pushed onwards, swamping the occupied town with a great artillery barrage. Pétain, a major proponent of artillery himself, was unable to pay back in kind as horrific casualties piled up on the French side. A breath of relief as the barrage stopped was not welcome, as it was then that the Germans proceeded to swarm the devastated offenders. Unable to mount an effective resistance in light of the assault, the French were forced to pull back to their country.
[-1,028 Regulars and -103,574 Conscripts to France, -12,274 Regulars and -22,688 Conscripts to Germany]

The Battle of Colmar devastated the French High Command. No more were they in possession of their loved Aslace-Lorraine, with the Germans successfully counterattacking over the course of the last few months. Naturally this was an insult to the entire Kingdom, a mistake that had to be rectified at once. Under the command of General Joffre, the French rode towards Metz. The counterattack was planned to use the German's own destructive strategies against themselves, but unfortunately this proved not to be the wisest strategy. The fortress of Metz managed to successfully hold against the French barrage, and ultimately the French artillery as inferior to the French. The ensuing rush of Frenchmen to battle the Germans led only to a needless sacrifice, with the Germans able to successfully repulse the attackers. The battles of the Western Front had been bloody, but the borders now resembled 1914 as the Germans were once again in safe ownership of Elsaß-Lothringen.
[-23,593 Regulars and -45,875 Conscripts to France, -15,006 Regulars and -27,618 Conscripts to Germany]


The fields of Alsace-Lorraine lay in utter ruin after fearsome artillery bombardments.

In the Eastern Front, the snow was finally thawing and with this came the opportunity for the Germans to reassert themselves against the Russians. The military genius of both Hindenburg and Mackensen united in an attempt to drive the Russians from Belarus. Utilising their earlier strategy of dividing and conquering, the two German armies advanced deep into the forests of Belarus and for a moment it seemed as though Minsk was soon to be theirs. Fate was cruel, however, and this destiny was not meant to be. Laying in wait was Dimitriev of the Russian Army, and he possessed with him over a million hastily recruited men alongside experienced veterans. Despite the sheer differences in training, they all possessed a similar spirit in their common mission - to defend against the Germans. Although initial confusion over the assault may have led to scathing gains against the Russians, the Germans quickly found themselves overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the enemy. Despite their best efforts they were unable to break through what they termed a 'human wave', and found themselves retreating to safer territory within the Baltics.
[-4,465 Regulars and -102,057 Conscripts for Russia, -12,083 Regulars and -76,124 Conscripts for Germany]

With the Germans retreating back to their positions in the Baltics, the Republican government saw the perfect chance to boost the popularity of their regime and morale of their soldiers by pushing the Germans out. Alekseyev rushed onwards from Estonia, where he divided his immense army into two as he wrecked chaos against the German lines. To further add pressure was Evert attacking in from the side, compromising the Germans in Lithuania. For a brief moment it seemed all was lost, with the Russians poised at any moment to snatch both Riga and Vilnius. Luckily Hindenburg was able to take advantage of the unwieldy army under the command of his opponents, where his disciplined army outshone themselves as they organised an impressive defence. Despite the best efforts of Alekyseyev, the Germans proved to be experts at defending their positions as they wrecked disaster upon the Russian line. Evert too found the tides turning, with the attack of Vilnius quickly proving to be nothing but a bloodbath. Realising the battles were futile and confronted with mass desertion the Russians called off the assault, limping away with the survivors as the Germans breathed a sense of relief.
[-2,250 Regulars and -246,060 Conscripts to Russia, -13,804 Regulars and -86,894 Conscripts to Germany]


Dead German officers laid to rest by the banks of the River Daugava.

The poor performance of the Russian army during the offensive had not impressed the Germans thus far, and now that they had successfully fended off a mass attack could the Germans regroup. Understanding that morale was at an all-time low during the war, a plan was devised to strike at the city of Narva. This would not only bring the Germans a step closer to the Russian capital, but allow for an encirclement and future destruction of a large amount of Russian soldiers. Figuring that such a devastating loss could be enough to falter any further Russian offences, a small but elite German force advanced with the support of their comrades in the Baltics. However the Russians were as intent as ever to give up no further land to the Germans. Able to pin down the force owing to their vast numbers and strike hard, the Russians stopped the advance in its tracks and began to push them back to the Livland. Thousands of innocents may have perished against the organised German army, but it was not in vain with Russians bringing a resounding defeat the German plan. Hundreds of thousands had been slaughtered during the offensives of both Germany and Russia, but the frontlines had nothing to show for it.
[-772 Regulars and -70,320 Conscripts to Russia, -7,720 and -41,038 Conscripts to Germany]

The tactics of Brusilov, first used during the sweeping Brusilov offensive of 1915, had been adopted as the official doctrine of the Russian army. Despite the lacklustre performance from last year's botched incursion, a third offensive was attempted to once more wrestle control of Galicia from the Habsburg empire. Under the coverage of a massive artillery barrage did the Austrian line begin the falter, and with the Russian strormtroopers rushing in to weak spots it was realised the defence was doomed. Bodies littered the fields of Galicia as the Austrians were unable to form a cohesive plan against the Russian onslaught, and faced with a dire situation it wasn't long before they had repeated to the Carpathians.
[-1,825 Regulars and -31,946 Conscripts to Russia, -117 Regulars and -77,797 Conscripts to Austria]

In light of the recent Russian victories, it seemed that all was lost for the Austrians. But that wasn't the case. Possessing a grand army within Lublin and Lodomeria, and with relatively quick regrouping of the once fleeing army in the Carpathians, it was decided revenge was to be enacted against the Russians. The Austrian High Command was intent that the Russian success only be brief. And so it was. To counterattack the Russians it was decided that immense manpower must be used against the vast masses of Russia themselves, in order to offset one of the main Russian advantages. Luckily for Austria-Hungary, it did indeed possess the required numbers due to a successful recruiting campaign earlier in the war. The Austrians pushed from two directions not long after Brusilov had made himself home in Galicia, and the Russian general floundered under the unexpected attack. Despite managing to inflict great losses onto the inexperienced members of the Austrian army, it was not enough to bring an end to the invasion. Assisting the Austrians were gunboats, who having learned great lessons from the attack on Lublin sailed down the rivers of Ukraine bringing victory all the closer to the K.u.K Amy. The Austrian breach ran out of steam by the Dnieper basin, where they would consolidate their position.
[2,454 Regulars and 35,187 Conscripts to Russia, -87 Regulars and -53,238 Conscripts to Austria]


Austrian gunboats sailing down the rivers of Ukraine.

During the intense battles of the Eastern Front, voicies within the Russian Army had sought to cripple the Germans not through all-out assaults but instead by devastating their logistics. With the repeated failures to oust the Germans from the Baltics and in face of mounting losses, these voices only grew louder and louder. The Republican government of Russia gave the green light to the use of the air force not to assist the ground troops but to wreck havoc on the horses and roads carrying Germany's supplies. Possessing one of the greatest air forces and one of the most powerful bombers in the world, this was an easy feat. Thousands of horses lay dead, with many roads and bridges connecting Imperial Germany to the occupied lands blasted out of recognition. With an astounding success in the air, the German army was sure to find supplies lacking for the remainder of the year.


The razed ruins of the German supply routes.

Casualties

Russia: 3,660,957
Austria: 2,163,158
Germany: 1,691,073
France: 567,735
Poland: 521,782
Serbia: 272,367
Italy: 184,858
Ottoman Empire: 169,671
Albania: 69,796
Montenegro: 29,205
Spain: 952

Entente Casualties: 5,237,856
Central Power Casualties: 4,093,698
Total Casualties: 9,331,554

The Iron Curtain: A Cold War NRP

Nation's full name: People's Republic of China
Population: 554,760,000
Current leader's name: Mao Zedong
Allegiance: The Great Helmsman
Military strength: 5,570,000

The Iron Curtain: A Cold War NRP

The Great Helmsman shall bring glory to China.

The Iron Curtain: A Cold War NRP

Dong Fang Hong!

1. People's Republic of China
2. French Republic
3. North Vietnam

Cold War NRP, anyone?

1. PRC/CCP
2. France
3. North Vietnam

World in Revolution - 1900

The Irish Question

The Irish Question was one that had plagued the United Kingdom since the late 17th century, and two hundred years onward it seemed as though they were no closer to a final answer. Irish nationalists had clamoured for the right to govern themselves as a separate nation within the United Kingdom for decades, and with a Statute of Westminster granting additional powers to the Dominion of Canada following what was termed the 'Laurier Affair', they believed Home Rule to be granted to them at any moment. It was not meant to be, however, with Britain instead determined to keep Ireland a complacent territory of the United Kingdom. Years onwards and anger grew within Ireland. Dismayed Catholics began to trickle towards the Sinn Féin party, who demanded a greater voice for the Irish.


Leader of Sinn Féin, Éamon de Valera.

Any attempts to answer Sinn Féin's call for Home Rule came to an end in 1909, where a constitutional crisis arose when the House of Lords rejected David Lloyd George's Finance Bill. With the British government becoming divided by the second, two General Elections were held in 1910. In both times, Liberals and Conservatives equally matched. Only one party was able to solve the deadlock - Éamon de Valera's Sinn Féin. Holding the balance in the House of Commons, the Liberals agreed to grant home rule to the Irish in return for the Sinn Féin's support during the political crisis. With the Liberals now soundly in power, they were able to introduce the Parliament Act 1911. This replaced the unlimited veto of the Lords with a veto lasting only two years, which ensured that a home rule bill passed by the Commons would be enacted within two years.


Passing of the Parliament Act 1911

Prime Minister H.H. Asquith lived up to his promise of supporting Sinn Féin's ideal of home rule, and introduced the bill in 1914. Although it passed the House of Commons, the House of Lords rejected it. When reintroduced the following year with an even larger majority in the House of Commons, it found itself rejected once again by the Lords. A third reading of the bill, passed in the Commons with the largest majority yet again found itself vetoed by the House of Lords. Asquith tapped into the rights of the Parliament Act 1911, and thus forced through the Bill in early 1916. While this was a cause for celebration in most of Ireland, not all were happy.

'What answer from the North?
One Law, One Land, One Throne!
If England drives us forth
We shall not fall alone.'

Ulster 1914, a poem by Rudyard Kipling

Deeply hostile to the mere idea of home rule, the Unionists within Ulster feared being governed by a Catholic-dominated parliament from Dublin. Ever since the Bill was first suggested in 1914, they had formed a militia known as the Ulster Volunteers in order to oppose its assent. Under the leadership of Edward Carson, the UVF had expanded to 100,000 men by the end of the year. Enjoying popular support from the population of Ulster, he introduced the Ulster Covenant, where just under half a million men and women pledged to use "all means which may be found necessary to defeat the present conspiracy to set up a Home Rule Parliament in Ireland". Even when threatening rebellion from the United Kingdom, the UVF enjoyed wholehearted support from the Conservative Party in London, and the Liberal Party not finding "itself terribly distressed by this proceeding.".


The Ulster Volunteer Force demonstrate against Home Rule.

With Unionists engaged in mass demonstrations and with an armed militia to boot, the nationalists within the rest of Ireland couldn't sit by any longer. Forming the Irish Volunteers, they declared their own aim "to secure and maintain the rights and liberties common to the whole people of Ireland". Respected scholar Eoin MacNeill was chosen as the Irish Volunteer's public face, where he promptly fought for the upper moral ground. MacNeill offered his thoughts upon the situation, condemning the Conservatives and their support of the armed forces within Ulster. By defining the UVF as the British policy towards all Ireland, the Irish Volunteers enjoyed tremendous popularity. MacNeill, however, was careful to opine that the Irish Volunteers were not formed to dominate nor seek aggression, but instead in the name of self-defence.


A meeting of the Irish Volunteers at Liberty Hall, Dublin.

The situation in Ireland was spiralling out of control with Irish Home Rule due to become law in 1916. Many MPs contemplated some kind of military action against the UVF. Sir Arthur Paget, Commander-in-Chief in Ireland, was summoned to London and instructed to move men into Ulster to reinforce both arms depot and prepare for a possible rebellion, if not a crackdown of the UVF. However when Paget summoned his brigadiers and informed them that active operations against Ulster were imminent, to his surprise almost all officers present within Ireland handed in their resignation. The press called it a mutiny; the Ulster unionists saw it as a sign that public support was on their side; the Irish nationalists questioned Asquith's commitment to Home Rule; and most MPs began to question if the army could be trusted to deal with the Irish Question.


The presses view of what they termed the Curragh Mutiny.

No end was in sight to either this update or the Irish Question. About a month later the UVF had managed to smuggle weaponry to Britain, prompting the Irish Volunteers to do the very same. Tensions between unionists and home rule supporters flared, with sectarian rivalries burning. With mass demonstrations and fully armed militias just waiting for a spark to light the powder keg, murmurs of a call of no-confidence had made an appearance in Parliament. Asquith was attacked ruthlessly by MP after MP, whether Liberal or Conservative. Ironically, Cromwell's words were echoed around the Parliament: "You have sat here too long for any good you are doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!" Faced with a mountain of criticism, Asquith's resignation was soon handed in to Parliament. His replacement was none other than one of the most popular parliamentarians, the Welsh Wizard - David Lloyd George. Enjoying the support of both the Liberals and the Conservatives, he successfully forged a coalition government where he vowed to solve not only the Irish problem but to welcome a new era for Britain.


Punch Magazine welcomes the new British Prime Minister.

Lloyd George faced a tough task ahead of him, and he knew it. What he didn't know was how soon he had to act. Only a few days after his appointment did dire news reach Parliament - with hatred brewing on both sides and Home Rule set to be enacted any day, the worst had come to pass: the local police had been overwhelmed as Unionists and Nationalists exchanged gunshots. The Irish Civil War had began.